![]() ![]() They chart the Who’s growth from a charming singles act into a quartet of innovators. Other Who milestones ( Quadrophenia, Who Are You, etc.) are due from MCA in the coming months, but these three are the important documents. Gone are the old “crackling noises” disclaimed on the original copies of Leeds. It was covered by Southern Culture on the Skids, United Singers, Life in General, Jeremy Sever and other artists. Each has been digitally cleaned up, with several previously unreleased tracks added to the original albums (look for a rave-up of TV’s Batman theme on A Quick One). The song Happy Jack was written by Pete Townshend and was first recorded and released by The Who in 1966. Just in time to rescue a worthy reputation come these newly expanded, remastered and remixed versions of the Who’s transitional albums, A Quick One, The Who Sell Out and Live at Leeds. How fast those memories fade after this last decade of endless farewell tours and beer endorsements. Each player was essential: guitarist and songwriter Pete Townshend with his windmill riffing and knack for shaping his increasingly complex song narratives into blissful pop Roger Daltrey and his thundering vocals Keith Moon with his frenetic drum attack and master bassman John Entwistle, steadfastly holding it all together. Latecomers to the ’60s British Invasion, the Who were mod sympathizers stealing Kinks riffs and American-pop formulas before they found their own mix of brute force and melody. At best, the Who’s raw power and intelligence offered essential messages to any era. Their tough, early tracks are a key punk resource, so it hardly matters that they were forever doomed to third place behind the Beatles and the Stones in the British-pop sweepstakes. Told to lie on the floor out of sight, he popped his head above the glass partition separating him from the rest of the group at the very end of a take, prompting Townshend's remark - little noted by listeners at the time, but eventually a well-known piece of Who lore.The Who weren’t always a nostalgia act or merely makers of pleasant Broadway fodder. The famous tag - Pete Townshend faintly saying "I saw ya" - occurred when Keith Moon was making funny faces at the group while the harmonies were recorded. A Quick One Happy Jack Import, Extra Tracks The Who Format: Audio CD 551 ratings -14 1027 List Price: 11.99 Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns See all 15 formats and editions Streaming Unlimited MP3 9.49 Listen with our Free App Audio CD 10.27 7 Used from 5.48 13 New from 6. market, after a couple of fruitless years that had seen almost half a dozen excellent previous singles ignored. Considered one of their more lightweight efforts by some critics, "Happy Jack" was nonetheless highly enjoyable and gave them an all-important entree into the U.S. The cleverest part of the arrangement, in fact, is probably the varied harmonies on the verse, in which the group shoots off rapid-fir, stuttering "la-la"s. The Beach Boys' influence upon the Who, in their harmonies mostly, reached a peak in 19, and "Happy Jack" is one of the tracks in which that trait is most apparent, especially in the high harmonies on the bridge. (Sometimes it's been said that "Happy Jack" is about a donkey, but in fact the song does state at its outset that Happy Jack is a man.) The irregular, nervous tempo of the verses gives way to a brief bridge with a brasher, more upbeat rhythm and chords before returning to the main motif. Further parallels with the Beatles and the Kinks in 1966-1967? It's a whimsical third-person character sketch of a strange fellow named "Happy Jack" who lives on the Isle of Man and stays happy in spite of abuse from the local kids. ![]() Like much of composer Pete Townshends work from the period (indeed much work by major British groups the Beatles and the Kinks in 1966-1967), it has a chipper, singalong feel. "Happy Jack" is grounded in two musical hooks: a jaunty, playful, circular guitar riff, and an insistent two-note bass line that pulses through much of the track. after its release in late 1966, and providing their belated commercial breakthrough in the United States, where it reached the Top 30 in mid-1967. "Happy Jack" was one of the Who's most lighthearted singles, reaching number three in the U.K. ![]()
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